MEMORIAL CEREMONY FOR YEONPYEONGDO ISLAND ATTACK

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea on Monday marked the 10th anniversary of North Korea's deadly artillery attack on Yeonpyeongdo Island. Memorial ceremonies were held on the border island and at the Daejeon National Cemetery.

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On November 23, 2010, North Korea launched an artillery attack on Yeonpyeongdo Island from its shore. The shelling killed two civilians and two soldiers. Three of the civilian houses that were destroyed by the attack have been kept intact to attest to the desperate situation at the time. They are now used as a site for a national security education program. A closer look at the North's coastal base, which is seven kilometers away, shows some open gunports. It is presumed they have been opened to dry moisture on a clear day. A memorial ceremony was held at the Daejeon National Cemetery to mark the tenth anniversary of the North Korean attack. Defense Minister Suh Wook and bereaved family members of the fallen soldiers were in attendance.

[Soundbite] KIM OH-BOK(MOTHER OF THE LATE SERGEANT SEO JEONG-WOO) : "I'm sorry for failing to receive an apology for the sacrifice of you guys cruelly killed by North Korea's shelling. I am sorry to say many people are increasingly forgetting the attack."

On Yeonpyeongdo Island, Minister for Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sam-duck, the commander of the Marine Corps, and the bereaved families, visited the site of the attack and laid flowers in front of the memorial. Island residents are struggling, as a fishing restriction is in place due to strained cross-border relations over the North's demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong and a fatal shooting of a South Korean government official by North Korean soldiers. Their difficulties have grown worse due to a drop in tourists amid the pandemic. The residents are hoping that inter-Korean relations will improve and such a tragedy will not occur again.